


Scout

by Phoenix_Sparrow



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Present, Gen, Gordon's present, Kitten, Mischief, Scott's Birthday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:09:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Sparrow/pseuds/Phoenix_Sparrow
Summary: Gordon brings home an unusual birthday present for Scott. Based on (mostly) my own experiences as my kitten, Kayo, grew up. Most anecdotes in this story actually happened to me, though some of them have been embellished or invented entirely because story.





	1. Bringing home Scott's present

Gordon sat in Lady Penelope's sitting room, lounging back on the sofa with his arms draped over the back.

Scott had sent him to the London office of Tracy Industries to pick up a prototype that the engineers wanted the Tracy's own engineer to check over. Gordon was just pleased to go on the errand as it meant he was able to visit the England based aristocratic agent before he returned home.

"So, what did you have to pick up from the office?" Penelope asked as she sat back into her own armchair, delicately crossing her ankles.

Gordon shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "They just asked if our personal engineer could take a look at it. Brains has been a bit busy lately, working on some upgrades to Thunderbird Three's engines, so he asked if one of us could come out to collect it."

"And you volunteered?" Penelope asked, offering him a plate of biscuits.

Gordon took one, savouring the lack of charring. He shrugged as he swallowed his mouthful. "Actually, Scott asked me, but I didn't argue."

Penelope smiled. "Tea?" she asked, indicating the tea service on the table.

Gordon looked and shook his head. "No, thanks," he said.

Penelope nodded, looking at Parker who had stepped forward to pour. "Thank you, Parker," she said to him.

He smiled, handing her a cup on a saucer, then looked towards the door, hearing the phone outside ringing. "H'excuse me, m'lady," he said, waiting for her small nod before leaving the room.

Gordon watched him go. He got on well enough with the man, but he still hadn't quite forgiven him for the comments about any of his four brothers or even his grandmother being preferable to his own company.

Returning his attention to Lady Penelope, he smiled at her. "So, I hear that your last mission went well."

Lady Penelope was about to answer when Parker walked back in. He waited by her chair until she looked at him. "Sorry, m'lady, that was your h'acquaintance, Miss Taylor. She was asking h'if you know of anyone wanting a kitten, m'lady."

"A kitten?" she asked, looking thoughtful. "I'm afraid I don't, Parker. Please convey my apologies."

Gordon had been listening with interest. "No, hang on a minute," he said, holding up a hand. An idea had begun to form in his mind.

"You know of someone?" Penelope asked, surprised.

Gordon grinned. "Whose birthday is it tomorrow?"

Lady Penelope regarded him, her eyes slightly wide. "If you're thinking what I believe you're thinking, I'm not sure it's such a good idea."

"Why not? I think it'd be great! Can I go and see them?"

The look on his face reminded Penelope of a child waiting for permission to go to the funfair. His eyes were bright and pleading and he was smiling widely. She glanced at Parker who shrugged ever so slightly. "H'I shall inform Miss Taylor that we will be round if convenient."

Gordon's smile widened, if that were at all possible. "Thanks, Lady P," he said, sounding thoroughly excited. "This is gonna be the best present for Scott ever!"

Lady Penelope wasn't as certain, but stood and invited Gordon to join her as they walked toward the door. "Parker," she said, glancing at the man as he re-entered the room. "Please prepare the car."

"Yes, m'lady."

 

Gordon sat in the back of FAB1 alongside Penelope, looking out the window as they drove along the lanes. There was something about the English countryside that he really liked.

Penelope watched him, the excitement on his face giving him an even more childlike quality. She smiled then faced forward as she recognised the street as her friend's residence.

The car pulled up outside the front door of a detached house, surrounded by a fenced garden full of a multitude of colourful flowers. "Nice place," Gordon muttered as Parker moved round to open the door for Penelope.

"Thank you, Parker," she said, taking the offered hand to help her out of the vehicle. Gordon climbed out after her and looked up at the house. He looked back down as the front door opened.

"Lady Penelope," said the woman at the threshold.

"Sophie, so lovely to see you," Penelope replied, grasping her friend's hands and kissing her on the cheek. "I'm so sorry to impose at such short notice."

"Not at all," she said, stepping away from the door and inviting them inside.

Lady Penelope followed her friend, Gordon following behind, while Parker waited outside with the car.

Gordon couldn't help but look around as he followed through the house. There were photos and trinkets everywhere which made him smile.

Sophie opened a door and led them inside, Gordon's smile widening. He could hear the sound of tiny paws thudding across the laminate flooring and the squeaky mews of kittens playing.

Penelope glanced round, watching him. She found how pleased he was amusing.

Gordon followed the sounds to a corner next to an armchair and crouched down. Four tiny kittens were playing on and around a blanket, jumping on and off it as they chased each other. His grin widened even more, threatening to split his face almost. One was pure black, another was a dusty sand colour, one was white and grey and the last was black and white.

Sitting back on his ankles, Gordon reached out to the tiny creatures. The little black and white one leant forward and sniffed his fingers. He wriggled them and the kitten reached out with a paw to try and catch them. It sat back on its haunches and raised both front paws to catch his fingers and pulled them close to chew on them.

Gordon laughed. "I like this one," he said.

"She's very feisty, that one," Sophie said. "If ever there's one running around, it's her."

"Sounds like my brother,"Gordon said, thinking of Alan.

"Sounds like you, too," Penelope said, smiling.

Gordon smirked at her, then looked down as the kitten climbed onto his lap and started to chew on his wristbands.

"They're old enough to leave their mother, fully house broken and I don't want any money for them," Sophie said. "I just want to know that they'll be going to a good home." She looked at Gordon, almost expectantly, but on seeing the look on the man's face, she was reassured that the kitten would receive good treatment.

Gordon looked back up at her. He'd let the kitten climb up onto his shoulder where it was chewing on his hair. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't mind paying."

Sophie shook her head. "She seems to have taken a liking to you."

Gordon grinned, which made Penelope smile. "Gordon, are you sure this is a gift for your brother and not for yourself?"

"Well, we do live in the same house," he responded. "It's not like I'd never see her again." Penelope laughed as Gordon looked up at Sophie. "Can I take this one then, please?"

Sophie nodded. "I've got some pet carriers if you need one."

"That would be great, thanks."

 

Gordon sat in the back of FAB1 looking through the holes in the box at the kitten. "She's so cute," Gordon said.

"She is rather adorable," Penelope replied. "But are you sure Scott will approve?"

"I'm sure," Gordon said. He was thinking back to when they were a lot younger and Scott asking for a pet. It was one of his earliest memories. "Anyway, I'll help."

"I'm sure you will."

They pulled up outside the front door to Penelope's stately home and Parker walked around once again to hold the door.

"Gordon," Penelope called out, noticing that he was still sat in the back of FAB1, poking his fingers through the holes and grinning as the kitten swiped at them. "Gordon," she called again, a little louder.

He looked up at her. "Oh, sorry," he said, grabbing the handle of the carrier and sliding across the seat.

"Quite alright, Gordon," she said. "Now, I believe you need to get back home. The vet I called for you is on the way to the airport. Don't forget to stop in to get her checked over."

Gordon nodded. "Thanks, Lady Penelope," he said, smiling at her. "For taking me there, I mean."

"Not at all, Gordon. I just hope Scott is as enthusiastic about her as you are."

"I'm sure he will be," Gordon said, lifting the carrier and looking through the holes again.

Penelope smiled. "Well, just be certain to take care on your drive to the airport. Don't forget to visit the vet and don't leave the prototype in your car."

"I won't, I won't," he responded, though he had already forgotten why he'd been in England in the first place.

"Alright, Gordon." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek in much the same way she had her friend. Much to Gordon's disappointment. "It was lovely to see you. Give my love to everyone on the island and have a safe journey."

"Thanks, Lady Penelope," he said again, heading over to the hire car that Parker had just brought round for him.

 

The vet gave the young kitten a clean bill of health and her first set of vaccinations, as well as those she'd need to travel.

The vet had started to mention quarantining until Gordon assured them it was a private island, with a direct private flight.

And so, with a bag of supplies for the tiny creature, Gordon had made his way back to their hangar at the airport. He signed the car back in and collected the carrier and supplies. He'd then returned to the car, after making it several paces, to retrieve the prototype. Luckily, it was only a small item, able to tuck under an arm.

The plane loaded and final checks made, Gordon climbed up into the cockpit. He glanced at the box and at the small nose sniffing the air through one of the holes. He grinned and reached out to tap it gently. A rumbling sound issued from inside the box, making Gordon smile wider again. "Wow, kitten, you've got a purr like a jet engine and believe me, I know jet engines."

The kitten didn't respond. Gordon chuckled and opened a radio channel with the air traffic controllers to request clearance for take off.

When granted, Gordon started the plane rolling down the runway, gaining speed until the vehicle lifted off the tarmac.

As he banked the aircraft round, pointing it towards home, he glanced at the clock. It would be early morning on the island, already Scott's birthday.

"Hmm," he said to himself as the plane settled into cruising height and speed. "0600. John's an early riser and he came home for Scott's birthday last night." He glanced at the box beside him. "What do you think, kitten? Should I call ahead?"

The kitten meowed squeakily.

"I think you're right," he said, reaching for his personal communicator. "Gordon to John," he said.

" _Go ahead, Gordon. Is everything alright?_ " John answered almost straight away.

"Everything's fine," Gordon said, glancing at the small hologram of his second oldest brother being routed through the console in front of him. "Uh, are you alone?"

" _Yes, why?_ " he asked, suspiciously.

"Because, um, I kinda picked up a gift for Scott and I don't want him to find out about it."

" _I wouldn't worry,_ " John said. " _He's off island at the minute. He was called out to attend to a cliff rescue._ "

"Didn't Virge go as well?" Gordon asked, surprised.

" _No, it's a pretty straight forward one. Just a walker that fell down beyond the reach of the local services. Scott just has to attach their stretcher to his grapple line and winch it and one of the local rescuers down the cliff face._ "

"Nice, so is he on his way back?"

" _No, he's not long left._ "

"Oh, good," Gordon said, relieved. He was glad that Brains had given their jets the upgrade of engines almost as good as those on Fireflash. The big commercial plane would be faster, but their private jet would get him home in only a few hours. Three, maybe three and a half, tops.

" _Why? Is this gift something you need to hide from him?_ "

"You could say that," Gordon said. At this point, the kitten meowed one of its squeaky little meows.

" _Gordon,_ " John said, slowly. " _What was that?_ "

"Uh, Scott's present?" he said.

" _Why does Scott's present sound like a kitten?_ " John asked. Gordon glanced down at the console as the small holographic brother crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because it's a kitten," Gordon answered, grinning sheepishly.

" _Gordon, you didn't!_ " John said, dropping his arms and looking surprised.

"You wait until you see her, John. She's so cute! And don't you remember how when we were kids Scott always asked for a pet!"

" _Gords, Scott was ten. I'm pretty sure he's outgrown the need for a pet when he's got you and Alan to look after instead._ "

Gordon pouted slightly. "You wait, John, I reckon this is gonna be the best birthday present I've ever got him."

" _I guess it's gotta be better than tying fishing line across his bedroom and bathroom doorways,_ " John conceded.

"Hey, that was a great idea!" Gordon said, grinning. "And anyway, he didn't have a nosebleed for that long."

John sighed. " _I hope you know what you're doing, Gords,_ " he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

Gordon grinned. "Course I do!"

 

A few hours later, Gordon was landing the plane and taxiing it into the hangar. He climbed out of the cockpit, tucking the prototype under his arm and picking up the bag of supplies in one hand and the carrier in the other.

As he turned around, he was surprised to be greeted by his other three brothers. "Oh, uh, morning, guys," he said.

"John gave us the heads up," Virgil said, peering at the carrier.

Alan was grinning almost as much as he himself had been. "What does it look like?" he asked.

" _She's_ black and white," Gordon said. "Come on, I was gonna take her up to my room until Scott gets back so you can see her."

"You don't have long to wait," John said. "He's on his way. E.T.A. approximately twenty-five minutes."

"F.A.B.," Gordon said, looking at Alan and nodding in the direction of the stairs to their rooms. The two youngest Tracy's wandered off, leaving the middle two stood in the hangar.

Virgil glanced at John. "What was he thinking?" he said, smirking.

"I'm not entirely convinced he was," John answered.

Virgil shook his head, chuckling. "His heart's in the right place, even if his brain cells are scattered all over the place."

John smiled.

Virgil tugged the older man's arm. "Come on, seeing as she's here, we might as well go and see her."

"You think this is a good idea, don't you?"

Virgil shrugged slightly. "I think it _could_ be," he replied.

John sighed. "We'll see." He was wondering if this was how Scott felt all the time, constantly trying to keep the youngest ones in line. Still, he wandered off after Virgil who was already headed towards the stairs.

 

Gordon and Alan were sat cross-legged on the former's bedroom floor, watching the kitten chasing the spot of light reflecting off Alan's watch.

"He's cute, Gords," Alan said.

"She, Al. _She_!"

"Oh yeah, sorry." He tilted his wrist to make the light spot travel across the room and under Gordon's bed, then used his free hand to cover the watch.

The kitten ran after it, skidding to a stop next to the bed, her tail twitching from side to side. She tucked her legs in close to herself, then pounced forward, diving under the bed then running out of the other side at full pelt. The two boys both cringed when the kitten ran into the wall.

"Well, that wasn't intelligent," Alan said.

"Al, Scott said when you were learning to walk you used to walk into walls all the time."

"Yeah, but the kitten can already walk. She's just kamikaze'd head first."

"Doesn't seem to have fazed her," Gordon said, watching her run back across the room. Alan had uncovered his wrist again and the dot had appeared halfway up the wall behind him.

The kitten stopped in front of Alan, all her legs tucked into her tightly again, when Alan covered his wrist again. She looked around as if trying to find it again, when she noticed her twitching tail.

She raised a paw slowly and batted her tail, then tucked it back in again. Suddenly, she was pouncing forward, grabbing her tail between her front paws and scraping her back claws against it repeatedly, doing a roly-poly in the process.

The Tracy brothers both laughed, watching her, when the door opened and Virgil put his head round, with John stood behind him.

"Virgil!" Gordon beamed. "Isn't she just so cute!"

"You do realise you sound like a six-year-old girl," Virgil said, walking into the room. He carefully stepped over the creature to sit on the edge of Gordon's bed, while John walked in and shut the door.

Gordon shrugged. "But try and tell me she's not."

Virgil watched the kitten grab her tail again, then pounce after Alan's watch light once more. "I gotta admit, she is kinda..." He thought, trying to find another word.

"Cute," Gordon said. "It's really the only way you can describe an eight-week-old kitten."

"She's eight weeks?" John asked, walking over, hesitantly stepping across the floor. The kitten seemed to find the shine on his shoes interesting and everytime he tried to put a foot down, the tiny cat was there beneath his foot. He made it across the room at last and sat down on the chair at Gordon's desk. "But she's so tiny. Are you sure she was old enough to be separated?"

"Yes, the lady I got her from said she was ready and Penny called me after I spoke to you to tell me that the lady had called her again. Said she was sorry for forgetting to say but she was eight weeks old and was born at the beginning of February."

"Must be the runt of the litter," John said, watching as the kitten tried to pounce on his shoelaces.

Gordon shrugged. "I guess the others were bigger, but not by much." He reached out to pick her up, grinning as she sat in the palm of his hand, looking up at him with huge wide eyes.

They all glanced up at the open window when they heard the sound of engines.

"Scott's home," John said. "I better go up to give him clearance."

Gordon nodded, watching as he stood up and headed to the door. "Oh, hey, John?"

The red-haired Tracy stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder at him.

"Don't give us away, please?" Gordon asked.

John nodded and left the room. He'd give Scott clearance and return.

"So," Gordon said, turning back to his remaining brothers. "If Scott follows his usual pattern for an early morning rescue, he'll land, perform post-flight checks, then go straight to the kitchen for coffee."

Alan nodded. "Probably. So, what are you gonna do?"

"Take her downstairs and let her into the kitchen."

Virgil, still sat on the bed, couldn't help but grin. "Well, whatever the outcome, he will definitely be surprised."


	2. Scott meet Scout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's far too early in the morning after a nocturnal rescue for Scott to process the presence of a kitten on their island

Scott leaned back in the command seat of Thunderbird One, closing his eyes. The rescue hadn't been difficult at all. It had been straightforward, quick and relatively danger free. The problem was that the call had come in while the nocturnal wildlife was still in full swing, meaning he was not. Yes, he was normally the last to go to bed and often the first (or at least one of the first) awake, but waking at 0200 to go out wasn't part of the plan on his birthday.

He had been planning on getting a good night's sleep - cross that off the list - followed by dodging Grandma when she tried to offer him a rock cake, cleverly disguised as a birthday cake. And by rock cake, he really just meant a rock. There would be very little left that resembled a cake.

Sighing and turning slightly in his seat, it was a few moments before he remembered he was still sat in One and wasn't back in his bed.

Opening his eyes, he reached up his gloved hands to scrub his face, before beginning the post-flight checks.

It wasn't long before he was riding the elevator back up to the den and stepping off his rotating silo entrance.

He looked around, frowning slightly. With the exception of Alan (usually), all of his other brothers were usually early risers. Gordon would have gotten home from England a while ago and he would possibly even have had time for his routine morning swim.

John didn't often sleep well when he was back dirt-side. The increased gravity, the actual fresh air and the island sounds all combined to disturb his sleep and if he woke early and the sun was up, he had no chance of getting back to sleep.

And Virgil? He liked to go for a morning run, which Scott often joined him on. On the days when Scott had been awake for longer and already been on his run, Virgil would take his sketchbook and pencil box down to the far end of the patio to try and capture the sunrise colours on their garden.

But this morning, he could hear nothing. No sounds from the kitchen, no splashing of laps being thrashed out in the pool. Nothing.

Shrugging to himself, he stepped off the rotating platform and headed down towards the kitchen.

As Scott mounted the stairs, Alan quietly stood up from his hiding place on the balcony overlooking the living room and ran back to Gordon's room.

 

Leaning tiredly on the kitchen counter, Scott stirred a small amount of milk in with his coffee granules while he waited for the kettle to boil. For the ease of quick access to caffeine, when he changed out of his uniform, he put his pyjamas back on. It wasn't worth the effort of going up the two flights of stairs from the lounge to get to his room to then have to descend both again, plus the stairs to the kitchen.

So now he stood wearing a scruffy old Air Force Academy t-shirt and loose sweatpants, his feet bare on the cold floor.

The kettle clicked, signalling that it had boiled and he reached for it, pouring some of the hot water into his mug as he stirred.

A noise on the stairs drew his attention and he stopped, the clinking of metal against ceramic ceasing. He listened, wondering if there was truly something there or if his tired mind was playing tricks.

Deciding on the latter, Scott replaced the kettle on the cradle and put the spoon into the sink. He must have been more tired than he thought. He could have sworn he'd heard a noise like a cat meowing.

Shaking his head and turning round to lean his back against the counter, he took a sip of his drink, sighing with pleasure at the taste. "Ah, that's better," he said to himself.

He was just about to raise the mug to his lips again when he heard what sounded like something small running across the floor.

Putting his mug down on the counter, Scott looked around. He barely had time to react when a small fluffy blur whooshed past him and pounced on the tennis ball Alan had left on the floor the day before.

Scott blinked, staring. _That's a kitten_ , he thought, rubbing his eyes, certain he was losing it. When he looked again, the small creature was still there. It had both front paws wrapped tightly around the ball and was scraping its back feet against the material of the ball fiercely.

Approaching cautiously, Scott crouched in front of it, one knee up in front of him that he leaned an elbow on. "How on Earth did you get here?" he asked, reaching out his other hand to touch it. When his fingers made contact with the soft, downy fur, the kitten started to purr, but also turned the attention of its claws on his hand.

"Ow!" he said, pulling his hand away and inspecting the red lines left behind. "Wow, sharp." Hearing more noises coming from the stairway, he turned round. Seeing all his brothers stood there, he rose from his crouch.

"Morning, Scott, happy birthday!" Gordon said, cheerfully.

"Uh, thanks, morning," he said, then looked from the expression of pure excitement on Gordon, back to the kitten now trying to catch the hems of his pants. "Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with this?" he asked, looking back up.

Gordon grinned. "She's your birthday present!" he announced.

"She's what?" Scott asked, his eyes widening as he stared at Gordon. The look on his face was akin to a man who believed his brother to have lost the plot. "What are you talking about?"

The smile on Gordon's face slipped slightly. Suddenly, he was unsure. "A friend of Penny's has a litter that needed rehoming. I... I thought you would like one."

Scott sighed, approaching him.

Gordon looked up at him. "I remember you saying when we were kids you wanted a pet."

The oldest brother smiled at the younger. "That was very considerate of you, Gordon," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you like her?" he asked, worried he'd made a huge mistake and very aware of the others stood on the stairs, watching.

Scott opened his mouth to reply when the kitten appeared at his feet. She meowed her high pitched little meow and rubbed her side against his shin, rising up on her back feet to do so. She looked up at him with her big eyes and meowed again.

The smile started to return to Gordon's face when he saw the look in Scott's eyes as he regarded the tiny creature. She stood up on her hind legs, reaching up his leg with her front paws. She could only reach about halfway up his leg. Meowing, she sat back down, looking up at him.

Crouching down again, Scott reached out his hands to her and she reached up, putting her front paws in his palms. "I didn't say that," he muttered, smiling at the kitten.

Gordon's smile returned. "So, we're keeping her?"

Scott had picked the kitten up, nestling her in the crook of his arm. He smiled as she purred then laughed as she climbed up onto his shoulder. "We?" he asked, smiling and glancing at Gordon out of the corner of his eye.

The others walked into the room. "Isn't she great, Scott?" Alan asked, bounding over and reaching up to stroke her.

"Were you all in on this?" Scott asked as they gathered.

"No," John said. "He arrived home with her this morning when he returned from England."

"Oh, yes," Scott said, turning to face Gordon again. The movement caused the kitten to lose her balance and dig her claws into Scott's shoulder. He winced and reached up a hand to steady her. "Sorry, kitten," he said, then looked back at Gordon again. "Did you pick up the prototype?"

"Oh yeah," Gordon said. "I left it in my room. What is it, anyway?"

"It's just a radio transmitter Brains designed for them to make, one with a greater transmitting distance."

"Nothing overly exciting then," Gordon said.

Alan laughed.

Scott picked up his forgotten coffee from the counter and sat down at the breakfast bar. Alan sat down with him, watching the kitten jump off his shoulder and onto the work top.

"You two are being a bit quiet," Scott noted, watching John and Virgil sitting down with mugs of coffee each.

"John didn't think the kitten was a good idea," Gordon pointed out.

"Oh, I see," Scott said, cradling his mug and waving a hand to discourage the kitten from putting her head inside it. "Oh, no, kitten. No coffee for you."

Virgil smirked as he watched him. "I've gotta admit, I wasn't sure you'd approve but I did think it could be a good idea her being here."

"Well, we'll see what happens," Scott said.

"What are you gonna call her?" Alan asked.

"Call who?"

The boys all looked round to see their grandmother descending the stairs into the room.

"Morning, Grandma," Scott said to her.

"Good morning, Scott. Happy birthday. Now, is someone gonna answer me?"

"Gordon brought home a kitten for Scott for his birthday!" Alan said, eagerly.

"He did what?" Grandma asked, surprised. "A kitten?"

"Yeah," Scott said, slowly. "I gotta admit, she's quite sweet." He reached out to the kitten who was lapping from a dish of milk Gordon had just put on the table.

Grandma smiled. "She is a little cutie, but what made you think of a kitten?"

Gordon explained about his trip to England while the others listened, each gathering what they wanted for their breakfast.

"Well, what an eventful trip you had, Gordon," Grandma said.

"So, what you gonna call her?" Alan asked again, stirring his cereal with his spoon.

Scott shrugged. "I keep referring to her as kitten, so maybe just Kit for short."

"Scott, really," Grandma said. "Try to be original. A sweetie like this needs a decent name," Grandma said, tickling the creature under her chin.

"The flecks of white fur in her black looks a bit like stars," John said. "What about Astra or you could name her after a constellation or something, like Andromeda for example. That's a nice name for a girl."

"No, those are boring names," Gordon said. "What about Ariel or Keto?"

"Keto?" Grandma asked.

"Old Greek sea goddess."

"Gordon, does she look like an old Greek sea goddess?" Virgil asked. "What about Sonata or Rhapsody?"

"She's not sheet music, either, Virge," Alan said. "I reckon she looks like a Sonic."

"You've been playing old video games again, haven't you?" John said.

"And anyway, girl cat, remember?" Gordon said.

"Fine, Zelda then," he said, shrugging.

Grandma looked over at Scott who was scratching the kitten between its ears. "What do you think, Scott?"

Hearing his name, he looked around, having tuned them all out long ago. "Hmm?"

"What do you want to call her, Scott? Seeing as Gordon brought her here for you."

Scott looked back down at the kitten. She had rolled onto her back now and was trying to catch his fingers which he was still wriggling absentmindedly.

"I was thinking Scout, actually," he muttered.

"Scout?" Gordon asked. "Dude, girl cat!"

Scott looked up at him. "The lead character in my favourite book is a girl called Scout," he said. His copy of To Kill A Mockingbird was particularly loved and remained on his bedside cabinet. "And the Scout plane is one of my favourite civilian planes."

Alan was about to say something when Virgil put his hand over his mouth. "That's nice, Scott," he said, smiling.

Gordon grinned. "And you guys weren't sure he'd like her!" he said.

John and Virgil exchanged looks, smirking sheepishly.

"We stand corrected," Virgil said, then suddenly jumped back away from Alan with a yell. "Urgh, Alan, that's gross!"

"What did he do?" John asked, watching Virgil wiping his hand on his pants and Alan smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"He licked my hand!"

John opened his mouth to reply then found he had to close it again before he trusted himself to speak. "Well, uh, you were still covering his mouth," he said.

"You're not supposed to take his side," Virgil said.

Scott turned away from them, watching the kitten creep towards the edge of the counter. "Scout, careful," he said. Before he could say anything else, Scout had jumped off the side and landed with a slight stagger on the floor. Scott was off his chair like a rocket and crouching next to her, but she just shook and ran off, chasing dust motes floating in the sun bars.

"You'd be surprised how hard wearing kittens are," Grandma said as he stood up again.

"I'll say," Alan said, drawing Scott's attention. "She was running around Gordon's room earlier and charged straight into the wall head first."

Scott grimaced a little at the thought. "This cat is going to turn me grey quicker than you two, isn't she?" he said, addressing his two youngest brothers.

"You mean more than you are already?" Alan asked.

Scott reached out to swat him playfully across the back of the head. "Behave you, or I'll have you cleaning your Thunderbird."

"Again?" he asked.

"With a toothbrush this time," he added, grinning.

Gordon laughed, then noticed Scout trying to eat the leaves on a bush growing near the doorway. "Oh yeah! I got a bag of food and stuff for her!" he said, running off to retrieve it.

"Gordon, don't run!" Scott called after him, then went to retrieve the kitten.

She saw him coming and ran off to the other side of the room. Once there, she found a scrap of kitchen roll that had dropped to the floor. She stopped and tucked her whole body in tight, her front paws wriggling as she contemplated whether to pounce or prowl. Her tail twitched from side to side, curling like a snake. All of a sudden, she pounced on the piece of paper, then rose up on her back feet, her front ones up as she pounced on it again. She jumped back and attacked it once more.

"Scott!"

Grandma's voice broke Scott out of his own little bubble. "Sorry, Grandma," he said, standing up. He had still been crouched next to the plant, watching Scout.

"I called you three times," she said. "Your coffee is cold."

"Oh, sorry," he said, sitting back down at the breakfast bar as Gordon came back in. He hadn't noticed that John had left the room, either. "Where'd John go?" he asked.

"He went to run a sensor sweep," Virgil answered, as Grandma got up and started to clear the table.

Gordon approached the counter and started to take things out of the bag. "Let's see," he said. "We got sachets of food, a bag of dry food, a collar-"

"A collar?" Scott asked, picking it up. It was pink with reflective shapes on it and a metallic bell hanging off it. "This would go round her twice on its smallest setting! It's more like a belt!"

"Well, obviously she can't wear it yet," Gordon said, taking it and putting it back down with the other items. "Where was I?" he muttered as Virgil reached out to take the collar. "Ah, some toys, food bowls and kitty litter and a tray."

"Ah," Scott said, looking at the heavy bag.

"Oh, don't worry. The lady said she's already trained."

"Well, I hope so. The last thing we want is to find unwelcome presents in unexpected places."

Virgil smirked, putting the collar back down again.

Scott picked up the box of food sachets and ripped it open, while behind him, Grandma headed towards the pantry. "I guess it's been a while since she ate anything so I might as well feed her."

Gordon watched him select a sachet and pick up the bowl feeling pretty pleased with himself. Epic birthday present? _Nailed it_! he thought.

Scott looked at the side of the box. "It says she should be fed half a sachet four times a day," he said.

"Go on, then," Gordon said. "Are you waiting for us to narrate you or something?"

Virgil and Alan chuckled as Scott frowned slightly, but still couldn't help but smile.

He ripped open the sachet and started to squeeze the contents into the bowl when Scout appeared from the corner of the room. With a squeaky meow, she ran to Scott and leapt, clinging onto his leg at his knee and latching her claws in, causing Scott's leg to buckle and for him to yell in pain as she clawed skin as well as material. Using his sweatpants as a kind of ladder, she climbed up him and jumped up onto the side.

At the table, Gordon, Virgil and Alan watched in surprise, trying their hardest not to laugh at the eldest Tracy's misfortune.

Straightening up, Scott picked Scout up gently and turned her to face him. "I suppose you think that was clever," he said, placing her on the floor.

He reached out to finish dishing the food up, while Scout chirped out her little meow and tried to climb up his leg again, causing Scott to have to lift his leg slightly.

"I think you might have been right about her needing to be fed," Alan said.

"Hmm," Scott said, turning and looking down at her. She sat on the floor, tilting her head and looking up at him with her large eyes. "Don't try that one," he said. "You hurt my leg."

She tried to jump again and he stepped back. "No, not until you stop trying to shimmy up me like I'm a gym rope," he said.

She sat back again, reaching out one paw to pat his leg. Crouching down, he held his hands out to her as if offering to pick her up.

Scout sniffed his fingers, then started to lick them. Scott screwed his nose up slightly at the sensation. "I forgot cats have rough tongues," he said.

The three remaining Tracy's at the table all exchanged glances. Virgil knew that Alan would find the kitten fascinating, but he didn't realise just how quickly his oldest brother would take to her. He wasn't even sure he would at all. And now he was watching him crouching in front of her, talking to her.

Scout finished licking and looked up at Scott again.

"Come on, then," he said, still holding his hands out.

She sat back on her hind legs and raised her front legs to him, allowing him to pick her up. He grinned as she sat on his level forearm, then laughed as she walked along it then climbed up onto his shoulder again.

"We need to find somewhere for you to have your dinner where you won't be in the way," he said, looking around. Scout sat on his shoulder, watching the bowl of food Scott now held.

"What about in the corner where John sometimes sits?" Alan suggested, pointing to the table in the corner where he also often did his homework.

Scott turned to look. "Yeah, I don't think she could be accidentally stepped on over there," he said.

He walked over, smiling to himself at how Scout maintained her balance without digging her sharp little claws in too much. When he reached the corner, he placed her bowl down, laughing as she used his arm as a ramp to run down to her food.

He stood up and turned around, locking eyes with Gordon. He smiled at his younger brother, rubbing the back of his neck.

Gordon looked at the other two brothers. "See?" he said. "Told you so."

Virgil chuckled. "You were right this time," he said. "Anyway, happy birthday, Scott, but I'm gonna go see Brains, see if he wants a hand with that prototype."

"Alright," Scott said, turning to face his kitten.

"Oh, and Scott?" Virgil called.

"What?"

"You've got blood on the back of your leg," Virgil said as he walked up the stairs.

Scott frowned and rolled up his sweatpants, revealing a long thick scratch starting just above the top of the back of his knee and measuring about three inches long. It wasn't bleeding much, but had obviously bled enough for it to stain his clothing.

"Nice one," Alan said. "Want me to get you a cloth?"

"Please," Scott said.

Alan grabbed some kitchen roll and took it to the sink to run it under the tap. Squeezing the excess off, he returned to his eldest brother. "Here you go," he said, handing it over.

"Thanks," he said, bending awkwardly to try and wipe it clean. He hissed through his teeth as the cold dampness touched the open scratch. "Yep, that stings."

"Cat scratches often do," Grandma said as she walked back in, taking note of what her grandson was doing. "Need a hand?"

"Nah, I'm pretty much done," he said, putting the piece of kitchen roll in the bin.

"Good," she said. "Now, I need you all to get out of the way so I can make Scott a birthday cake."

The boys all grimaced behind her back, throwing each other worried glances.

"Grandma, it's alright, you don't have to," Scott said.

"Nonsense," she said. "You have to have a cake on your birthday."

He threw a look at the other three and together they walked towards the stairs.

 

Scout finished the food in her bowl and looked round, and, noticing the movement, ran across the room to follow them up the stairs.

Scott reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen and walked into the lounge. "Hey, John. Anything going on?"

John turned to face him. "Nothing that we need to be involved with," he replied, glancing briefly up at the globe projected in front of him. "Not yet, anyway."

Scott nodded. "Alright. Are all the alerts set up?"

"Of course they are," John said, mocking an expression of indignation. "Who d'you think you're dealing with here?"

Scott grinned. "Sorry, force of habit to check."

"I know, I know." John turned back to focus on the globe, his hands raised in front of him to turn it slowly, when Scout suddenly appeared.

Running across the room, she leapt lightly onto the table, skidding slightly on its shiny surface before coming to a stop next to the projection plate at the centre.

John and Scott exchanged glances as she sat on the table, looking up at the hologram above her. She sat back on her haunches, raising her front paws to swipe at the projection. As it spun at the interaction, she sat back down, tucking her paws back under her, her eyes fixed on the movement.

"Okay, Scout, let's leave Uncle John alone. He doesn't need you messing around with the projections," Scott said, approaching and picking her up carefully, nestling her into his arms.

John looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Did you actually just call me 'uncle'?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.

Scott turned away from him, feeling heat rising in his cheeks. "I need to go and get dressed," he muttered, heading towards the stairs that would lead him to the balcony.

"'Cause if I'm uncle, that makes you Daddy Scott!" John called out, laughing as he watched his older brother head across the balcony and mount the stairs that would take him to their rooms.

 

Scott made it to his room and went inside, leaning against the door as he closed it. Scout squirmed in his arms so he crouched down to let her go.

She jumped down and immediately started to explore the new surroundings.

Scott watched her, sitting down from his lowered position and leaned his head against the door. He'd been awake far too long now and he was starting to get drowsy.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, his head lowered slightly, he took a few deep breaths. Everything had happened so fast. He'd gone from his biggest worry of the day being how he could politely turn down a piece of his own birthday cake to having to worry about what this small creature was up to. Not that he wasn't used to that. He'd practically raised Alan and Gordon so it came almost as second nature to him to worry about what small creatures were up to.

He opened his eyes again and looked over at Scout who was now putting her head inside one of his shoes. It tipped over and she locked her front paws round it, scratching at it with her back paws, her head still inside it.

Scott pulled a face. There was no way he'd put his own face anywhere near that close to a shoe, let alone his whole head inside one. Not that he'd be able to, but... He sighed, realising his thoughts were running away from him.

Getting up, he walked over to his bed and dropped onto it, tiredly. He closed his eyes as he lay on his back, taking another deep breath, then rolled onto his side, curling up.

Scout watched him, then tried to jump up, but was unable to reach. She fell back to the floor and meowed sadly.

Scott opened his eyes as she tried again, this time using her claws to climb up his bedspread. He could hear the fabric pulling and nicking as she climbed then finally appeared in front of him, purring.

He smiled and reached out a hand to scratch between her ears. "Good job, Scout," he said. Her purr was soothing and almost therapeutic and he found his eyes drifting closed.

Scout looked at him as his hand stopped moving then curled up next to him, still purring as she too fell asleep.

 

Alan came in from the patio. He'd been sat outside for a while, doing a lesson. It was a physics one John had set up for him, but he saw no reason why he couldn't study in the sunshine.

Lesson finished, he now headed inside for a drink and saw Grandma still hard at work making her cake. From the smells he was picking up, it should have been taken out of the oven a while ago.

"Hey, Grandma," he said. "You seen Scott?"

"Not since breakfast," she said, mixing colour paste into a bowl of frosting.

Alan looked over to see her put down the tub. _Wow, so Scott's going to have a bright red lump of charcoal_ , he thought, but not wanting to incur the wrath of Grandma, just said, "Okay, Grandma, thanks anyway."

He went inside and headed up to the lounge, hearing voices up there.

"Hi, Alan," John called out as he saw his youngest brother emerging from the stairway. There was laughter in his voice as he exchanged a glance with Virgil who was sat at his piano.

"Hi, John," he replied. "What are you two laughing at?"

"I was just telling Virgil about how Scott referred to me as Uncle John," he said, a chuckle threatening to escape him again as he once more thought of the phrase.

Alan grinned. "And you said he wouldn't like her."

"I never said he wouldn't like her, I just wasn't sure bringing her here was such a good idea," he countered. "But I'll be the first to admit he really seems to have taken to her."

"Where is he, anyway?" Alan asked. "I wanna tell him I finished the lesson you set up."

"Nice," John said, impressed. "Did it all make sense?"

"Eventually," Alan responded.

Virgil leaned on top of his piano, his arms folded in front of him and his chin on his hands. "Scott went up to get dressed, apparently, but that was hours ago."

Alan frowned. "I'll go see if he's okay, then," he said. He went over to the stairs and took them two at a time, then crossed the balcony and ascended the stairs to their bedrooms, heading straight for Scott's door. Seeing it closed, he knocked lightly and waited.

No reply.

He knocked a little harder. "Scott?" he called out.

Still no reply.

Hesitantly, he reached out to the door handle and turned it as quietly as he could. No reply to a knock and having been missing for a few hours probably meant he was asleep, especially after a night rescue. Either that or he wasn't even in there.

Pushing the door open slowly, he peered inside and grinned. He was in there, alright. Pulling the door closed again, he jogged back downstairs and leaned on the balcony railing. "Hey, guys?" he called out to them.

They both looked up at him. "Did you find him, Alan?" Virgil asked.

"Oh, yeah," Alan said, grinning. "You gotta come see this. Where's Gordon?"

"Just drying off, he was doing laps again," John said.

"He needs to see this, too," Alan said, though somewhere in his mind he was marvelling at how Gordon was still awake after his trip to England.

Exchanging glances, John went for Gordon as Virgil climbed the stairs to the balcony. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Not gonna spoil it," he said. "By the way, how on Earth is Gordon still awake?"

"Oh, he had a nap this morning while you were working on your lesson," Virgil said. "You must have been studying real hard if you didn't notice him go."

"I guess so," he said, then shrugged as John came in with Gordon, who'd pulled on his shorts but forgone his t-shirt.

"What's going on? John says there's something I need to see," he said.

Alan gestured for them to follow and led them upstairs. Quietly opening the door again, he crept inside, moving out of the way so the others could see.

Scott was sound asleep, curled up on his bed. In front of him, Scout was curled up similarly, also sound asleep, with Scott's hand resting gently on her back. They could hear her purr from the doorway.

With a smile on his face, John caught the others' attention and indicated that they should leave before they disturbed him by a simple nod of his head in the direction of the door.

They filed back out and closed the door behind them.

"So, I think it's safe to say he loves his birthday present," Gordon said, pleased with himself.

"Alright, I'll give you this one. I think you might be right," John conceded, glancing back at the closed door. "I don't think you'd even been born when I last saw him snuggled like that," he added, looking at Gordon, then turned to Alan. "Let alone you."

"What was he snuggling?" Alan asked, loving the idea that his biggest brother had ever snuggled anything.

John thought about it, a smile crossing his face slowly as he remembered. "You know what, his favourite toy used to be a stuffed cat."

"Really?" Gordon asked. He couldn't remember ever seeing Scott with a stuffed toy.

John looked at Virgil. "Do you remember it?" he asked, a pointed look on his face.

Virgil frowned slightly, trying to recall, then looked up at John. "It was black and white, wasn't it?"

Gordon looked between them both, stunned. "You're kidding!"

John shook his head. "No. His favourite toy used to be a black and white stuffed cat."

Gordon grinned. "That makes my present even more epic than ever!" he said. "What was it called?"

"Well, like Grandma said this morning, he's not overly original with names," John answered. "He used to just call it Cat."

Gordon chuckled, then looked over at the door. "I definitely think he likes her."

John nodded. "I think you're right," he said, then held out his hands either side of him, shooting his brothers away. "Now, come on. Let's let him sleep."


	3. Let Trouble Commence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kittens are cute, right? Yeah. Kittens are trouble!

Scott woke several hours later, stretching out the kinks in his back, groaning slightly as he did. He opened his eyes and looked around, wondering if the events of that morning had been a dream.

He linked his fingers together and stretched his arms out in front of him, his knuckles protesting, making him wince. He brought his hands back in front of him and looked at them, noticing the red lines on the back of one of them. "Not a dream then," he said.

He looked around. The door was still shut, so, unless one of his brothers came and let her out, Scout should still be in the room somewhere. Where, though? He could see no sign of her. Repositioning himself, he lay on his front, holding onto the edge of his bed and lowered his head down over the edge. He peered underneath, his bed - tousled hair hanging slightly.

Turning to look either way, he finally spotted her in the far corner. "Oh, there you are," he said, smiling. He reached a hand down to tap on the floor.

Scout looked up, her ears pricking up as her eyes locked onto his fingers.

Scott grinned as she repositioned herself to pounce. She tucked in tight, her tail twitching. Before Scott could react, she suddenly leapt forward to catch his fingers, catching his lip in the process.

Sitting up swiftly, he raised his fingers to his lip, drawing them back to see them tinted red. "Ow, seriously, Scout!" he said, getting up and going into his bathroom. He looked in the mirror to see a thin line across is upper lip, just below his nose.

He looked down, seeing her approaching him. She sat at his feet, looking up at him. He frowned at her, trying to be stern, but looking at her, he found he couldn't muster the energy to stay cross. He smiled again, reaching down to pick her up.

She looked up at him, softly pawing his chin and Scott sighed. "Scout," he said, his fingers working into the fur on her back. "You are a distraction. I need to get dressed. It's early afternoon, I've barely seen anyone and I'm still not dressed." Scout was too busy trying to catch his fingers. Scott sighed again, going over to his bed and sitting down. Twisting his body, he turned to put Scout down on his bed. "Right, wait there. I won't be a minute," he said, then went back into his bathroom for a quick shower.

 

"Where on Earth has Scott got to?" Grandma said. She was stood at the top of the stairs leading from the lounge down to the kitchen.

"He had a night rescue, don't forget, Grandma," John said from his position in the central seating circle. "Last time we checked on him, he was out for the count."

"He's missing his whole birthday," Grandma grumbled as she walked in and sat with him. "And I made him a cake specially."

"Maybe that's why he hasn't reappeared," Alan muttered, leaning closer to Gordon who grinned. They were both stood up on the balcony, arms resting on the railing.

Grandma looked up at them. "I heard that, young man," she said.

Alan grinned sheepishly, then noticed a figure emerging from the darkness of the kitchen stairs. "Oh, hi, Kayo," he called out, waving to her.

"Hey, Alan."

"Where have you been all morning?" Gordon asked.

"Perimeter run," she answered, shrugging as she approached the seating area. Smiling at him, she took a seat next to John. "Brains did some minor upgrades yesterday which he asked me to check out while I was airborne so I stayed out longer so he could run tests."

"But you landed ages ago," Virgil said. He was stood at his easel, his usual favourite red and black checked shirt discarded in favour of a scruffy old t-shirt that was already covered in paint stains.

"Yes, well, after I landed, I went down to talk to Brains about how it went."

"Ah," Gordon said, understanding. "That'd explain it."

"You missed everything this morning, Kayo!" Alan said, heading across the balcony to descend the stairs.

"Like what?" Kayo asked.

Alan was about to answer when they heard the sound of tiny paws running down the stairs. He grinned. "Like that," he said, pointing up to where Scout had appeared, her front paws and head between the railings and looking over the edge.

"Scout, don't even think about it!" came Scott's voice from the bottom of the bedroom stairs.

Kayo looked between everyone. "I'm confused," she said. "Why is there a kitten here?" She looked over at Gordon, seeing him wave. "You did this?"

"Yup. She's Scott's birthday present."

Kayo watched as the kitten edged forward slightly, clearly contemplating whether the drop was achievable.

"Scout, no," Scott said, approaching her. Just as he reached her, she darted off towards Virgil at the far end of the balcony.

"Whoa, no!" Virgil yelped, grabbing his paints off the floor beside him. He watched as she changed direction and ran back along the balcony and down the stairs.

Kayo watched her, a smile forming on her lips. "How sweet," she said, chuckling. "But she's like an indoor tornado!"

Alan laughed. "Yep," he said, looking up as Scott reached the lowered seating and dropped into a chair. "Feel better?" he asked.

Scott looked over at him. "Sorry?"

"We wondered where you'd vanished to for so long earlier so I checked in on you," Alan said. "You were out like a light."

Scott rolled his eyes, smirking slightly. "Something is very wrong in the world when the youngest checks on the oldest."

Alan grinned, but then looked at his biggest brother a little closer. "What happened to your lip?" he asked.

Scott raised an eyebrow and looked over at where Scout was playing. She'd found her way over to the seating area and was swatting at the leaves on the potted plant.

"Oh, got it," Alan said.

"So, is somebody gonna explain to me how this occurred?" Kayo asked.

"Blame Scott for sending me to England," Gordon said.

"You didn't exactly argue with me about going," Scott said.

Gordon shrugged, smiling, then started to explain how Scout had come to be with them.

"So, I stay out a little longer on my perimeter run and when I come back, this happens," she said, smiling as she watched Scout climb up onto Scott's lap.

Scott smiled at her, rubbing his knuckles into the fur on Scout's side. She purred, leaning into the attention she was getting. “I know,” Scott said. “I had that rescue to attend this morning so I came home to find her.” A thought occurred to him at this point and he stopped fussing the kitten. As he moved his hand, she fell over, having been leaning against him so much. He chuckled as he picked her up. “Sorry, Scout,” he said, looking her in the eye. She reached out to bat his nose before he put her down. “I've got to write the report for that mission earlier.”

“Ah yes,” John said.

Getting up, Scott crossed over to the desk and picked up a tablet computer.

At this point, Grandma walked in. “Scott Tracy, are you working on your birthday?”

Scott looked up from the file he'd just opened and made a start on. “It's gotta be done,” he said. “I put it off long enough already.”

“Catching up on lost sleep isn't putting it off,” Grandma said. “Anyway, your cake is ready. Who wants a slice?” She put the cake down onto the table and handed Scott a knife.

He took it, glancing up at her, knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this one. He was just going to have to get it over with. But if he had to have some, so did the others.

 

As Scott finished writing his report, he looked around the room. Scout had been playing with Kayo and Alan for the past ten minutes or so. They'd tied one of her toys to a long stick and we're making her jump to catch it.

Their laughter as the kitten had leapt after the toy had distracted Scott from his work, but he found he didn't mind. As he looked up again, he was in time to see Scout tucking in tight in her pre-pounce stance. As the toy bobbed above her, she leapt again, twisting in midair and catching the rattly toy between her front paws.

She pulled on it, scratching and biting it, which pulled the stick from Alan's hand.

“She got it!” he said, grinning.

Now that the toy wasn't moving, it had suddenly stopped being interesting. Scott's swiftly moving fingers as he typed, however, had caught her attention. She crossed the room and sat on the floor, listening to the clicks the computer made as he tapped a key on the screen. Her tail twitched from side to side before she climbed up onto the chair.

Scott smiled as she wriggled her way onto his lap, but soon her intentions became clear as she climbed from his lap onto the table. “Want to see what I'm doing, huh?” he said, continuing to type.

Scout crouched low again, pawing at his wrist, which made him chuckle. “Leave, Scout,” he said, moving a hand to shoo her away.

She jumped up, stepping onto the screen as she chased his hand, touching controls as she went.

Scott laughed as he picked her up. “Scout, you are a pest,” he said, looking at her. He rubbed his nose against hers then put her down on the floor again. When he turned back to his work, his heart sank. “Oh, no,” he muttered.

“What is it?” Kayo asked.

Scott looked at the now blank screen on his computer. “That'll teach me for not saving as I go,” he said, leaning on his hands, frustrated. He glared over at Scout who was sat in front of Alan washing her face with a paw. “Yeah, you sit there being all cute,” he muttered.

“Let me guess,” Alan said. “She hit ‘exit without saving’?”

Scott nodded, sighing as he started again. He looked over at Scout again who meowed and curled up on Alan's lap. He smiled slightly, shaking his head. This might help him to remember to save as he worked.

 

Having finally finished his report, again, and saved it into all the relevant encrypted files, Scott stood up and stretched.

Alan and Kayo had disappeared earlier, deciding they wanted to go outside with Gordon. Virgil had, much earlier, taken his painting things to wash them, then joined the others outside with his sketchpad and John had retreated to his room. He'd only returned from space the day before and was still struggling with the shift in gravity.

Scott sighed as he looked around, then frowned slightly. Where had Scout gone?

He checked under all the furniture in the living room, then headed down to the kitchen to check in there.

“Grandma?” he asked, seeing her cleaning the plates they'd used for the cake earlier. “You seen Scout?”

The Tracy matriarch shook her head. “Not since I left the den,” she said. “She was with Alan and Kayo.”

“They went out to the patio a while ago,” Scott said thoughtfully, looking out at the others. He headed out to them. “Hey, Alan,” he called.

Alan looked up from where he was throwing things into the pool for Gordon to retrieve. “S’up?”

“Seen Scout?”

Alan shook his head. “Nope, she wandered off earlier while you were still working.”

“Which way?”

“Um, towards the gym and stuff I think.”

Scott nodded. “Alright, thanks.” He wandered off in that direction, hoping that the gym door was closed. He didn't want her to get hurt in that equipment.

As he approached the corridor, he suddenly heard a startled yell coming from Brains’ lab. “Uh oh, I think I know where she is,” Scott said to himself.

The door to the lab was stood ajar, meaning Scout could easily have gained access. He pushed it open and looked inside. “Brains?”

“Over here, Scott,” the engineer called out. He was stood at the far side of his lab surveying the mess that once was a stand of test tubes. “It's a g-good thing there weren't dangerous, uh, chemicals in those tubes,” he noted. “Where exactly did a kitten come from, uh,  anyway?”

Scott crouched down and held his hands out to the kitten sat in the corner under the desk. “Come on, Scout,” he almost whispered. The noise had clearly startled the creature.

“Scout?” Brains asked, confused.

Scott picked Scout up as she neared his reach, not wanting her to step on the glass. “Uh, yeah,” Scott said. “Brains, this is Scout. My birthday present from Gordon.”

Brains pushed his glasses further up his nose. “I see.” He looked down at the ruined phials. “It would appear I'm going to, uh, have to make sure my door is kept closed.”

Scott nuzzled his nose into the kitten’s fur, trying to avoid eye contact.

Brains watched him briefly. “Perhaps I could make some kind of d-deterrent so she wouldn't want to come in here at all.”

Scott looked up at him. “It wouldn't hurt her, would it?”

“Of course not. Just a scent or something.”

Scott nodded. “Okay. Come on, Scout. Let's leave Brains alone, shall we?”

“Uh, Scott?” He watched as the usually stern Field Commander of International Rescue snuggled the small kitten close to his chin as he turned back to face him. “Some help tidying this mess would be, uh, great,” he said.

 


	4. Dangerous Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scout likes to play. At all the worst times.

It was early evening and Scott was in the kitchen. He’d had a snack but the dishwasher was already running so he was stood at the sink, washing up the plate and other items he’d used to create his mini meal.

Scout was wandering around the edge of the kitchen, batting the gently swaying leaves blowing in the breeze from outside. She had occasionally wandered outside, but the strange noises of the jungle surrounding their home had her scurrying back inside.

Scott wondered how long that would last. At the minute, the chirp of a cricket made her stop in her tracks, but the first time she saw it, she’d be chasing it. And most likely, bringing it back to him as a gift. Oh, he couldn’t wait for that.

Chuckling to himself, he plunged his hands into the sink, searching for items that had sunk to the bottom, hidden beneath the soapy bubbles.

Scout prowled over at this point, rubbing her back against his leg. “No, Scout, it’s not dinner time,” he said. “I fed you earlier.” With a glance at the clock, however, he reconsidered. “Wow, was it really that long ago? Sorry, Scout, I take it back.”

Grabbing a towel, he dried his hands and went over to the fridge to see if there was an open pouch already. Kayo, Gordon and Alan had already shown an interest in helping with feeding her and such, so he wasn’t sure if there’d be one already there.

A little mew from the other side of the room had him looking back, holding onto the open door. “Patience, Scout, I’m looking,” he called out to her. Turning his attention back to the fridge, he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the pouch, he put it down on the side, next to Scout’s bowl.

The kitten meowed loudly, smelling the food and raising her front paws up to bat Scott’s leg.

“No, you’re not jumping up,” he reminded, stepping back. “I’m not a ladder.” Scout meowed again as she sat down. Scott smiled and lowered both hands, holding them open in front of her. Scout sat back on her haunches, raising her front paws to him. He put his hands around her body, picking her up gently and cradling her against him as he moved to take her to the side.

As soon as she realised she was close enough, she twisted in his grip, jumping away and landing noiselessly on the side.

Scott sighed, rubbing his chest. _Yep, there’s another scratch_ , he thought. Scout was stood on the side, pawing at the still clipped-shut pouch.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he insisted, approaching and picking up the food, squeezing it into the bowl. Scout ate it hungrily, purring as she practically inhaled the meal.

Scott chuckled. “I’m not gonna take it away, you know,” he said.

“Takes after her dad,” a voice behind him said.

Scott turned to see John stood in the doorway of the stairs, his arms folded across his chest. Scott rolled his eyes, but was still smiling. “Funny,” he replied.

“I’ve seen you eating apple pie, Scott. At least she makes less mess.”

Scott crossed his own arms, tilting his head. John tilted his head in return, making Scott roll his eyes again and return to the sink.

“Why exactly aren’t you using the dishwasher?” John asked, walking over to join him.

“It’s full and it seemed a waste of time to leave these for the next load,” Scott answered.

John shrugged, going to the coffee machine and switching it on.

Scott watched him go then returned his attention to the sink to see Scout stood next to it, pawing at the bubbles. He chuckled. “Careful, Scout,” he warned.

The kitten reached out a paw and swiped at the large pile of bubbles in front of her, her claws extended.

“Ow, Scout!” Scott yelped, pulling his hand out of the water. It had been just below the surface as she’d swiped.

“Scott?” John asked, going back over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, looking at the little creature who was still trying to get the bubbles, seemingly oblivious of his outburst. He looked down at his hand, seeing a long red line blossoming along his wet skin.

John looked at his hand, taking it in both of his own. “You sure, this one looks quite deep.”

Scott shrugged. “It’s fine, honestly. I get the feeling I’m gonna have a lot of scratches. So far, she’s managed to get my leg, my lip, my chest and now my hand.”

“And it’s only day one,” John added, reaching for the kitchen roll nearby. He pulled a piece off and dabbed at the mark on Scott’s hand. “It’s not bleeding as much as I thought it was.”

“Probably just where my hands are wet. Made it look worse.”

“Possibly,” John admitted, letting go of Scott.

Scott put his hands back into the water to finish the washing up, hissing as the hot water made the cut sting.

John just laughed softly, heading over to the coffee machine as it finished.

 

Alan sat with his tablet computer, looking through the apps available for it when he came across one supposedly aimed at cats. He grinned and downloaded it.

“Hey, Scott!” he called out, knowing he’d seen Scott nearby not so long ago.

Scott appeared at the doorway from the kitchen to the patio and looked down at him, drying his hands on a towel. “Alan, I’ve told you before about yelling for my attention,” he reprimanded. “What do you want?”

“I found an app that Scout might like,” he replied, showing his the computer.

Scott blinked at him, confused. “You do remember that Scout is a cat and not a person, right?”

“Don’t be an idiot, of course I know. But this one says it was designed to entertain cats.”

Scott shook his head, bemused. “Alright,” he sighed.

Alan grinned and took the tablet inside. “Where is she?”

“She’s around,” Scott said, looking around. “Well, she was.”

The two of them checked around the room, but couldn’t see her. “Where could see have gone?” Alan asked, concern on his face.

Scott shrugged and was about to answer when he heard a noise. He closed his mouth again and listened intently, wondering if he’d hear it again.

“What?” Alan asked, but Scott held up a hand, hushing him.

He approached the corner of the room, pushing aside one of the big white chairs that stood there and crouched by the unit. He had a smile on his face when he heard another squeaky meow from between the unit and the wall. “I think she’s got herself stuck,” he guessed.

Alan walked over and looked. They could see a pair of bright eyes in the small space between the wall and the unit.

Scott stood up and leaned on the cupboard, moving it slightly and watching as Scout jumped out, running across the room. He pushed the piece of furniture back to where it should be and went after her.

She jumped, managing to reach the chair at the dining table, then made her way from there up onto the table itself, batting and knocking over a cup that had been left there.

Scott sighed in relief, seeing nothing spilling out of it. “Well, Alan, you wanted to play, there you go.”

Alan put the tab down on the table and opened the app. Once it had loaded, a jingle played for the menu. Alan selected a game and pushed the tab in front of the kitten, trying to catch her attention. The screen was displaying an image of a mouse that was moving jerkily across the screen.

Once Scout caught sight of it, she tucked her legs in tight, her eyes fixed on it and her tail twitching. She pounced at the screen, pawing at it and chasing it round, running in circles trying to catch it.

Alan laughed. “Scott, this is brilliant!” he said, grinning at him.

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “Just don’t let her knock your computer on the floor,” he said, patting his shoulder.

 

Scott was sat in the den later that evening. Darkness had really started to set in now and it was getting late. He was also starting to regret sleeping as long as he did earlier on in the day. It was going to be very difficult to get to sleep tonight, now.

“Hey, Scott!” Alan called out as he ascended the stairs from the kitchen and entered the room.

“And again, Alan, what did I only say a few hours ago?”

“Sorry, Scott, but you gotta see this!”

“See what?”

“You know that game I put on my tab for Scout?”

“Yeah?”

“I think she knows the music on the menu.”

Scott laughed. “Don’t be silly, Alan,” he said.

“No, seriously,” Alan insisted. “Every time I went back to the menu she came running back over. Even if she was on the other side of the room.”

Scott raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve managed to get her to do that thing where you hold your hands out and she jumps up.”

Scott thought for a moment and realised that, yes, she did seem to have picked up on that. He tilted his head in agreement. “Okay, I’ll give you that one.”

Alan put the tab down on the table and opened the app. “You watch.” The menu music started playing, loud and annoying in Scott’s opinion. He was about to ask Alan to turn it down when he heard the gentle pounding of Scout’s tiny feet running up the kitchen stairs. She charged across the room and jumped up onto the table, skidding in her haste.

Scott laughed. “Alright, Alan, I’ll give you that one as well. That’s hilarious!”

Alan grinned and selected the game that Scout was waiting for. She was sniffing the tab, looking for the mouse.

 

The following morning, Scott woke and stretched his whole body, wrenching all his muscles as much as he possibly could.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck and looked around. Scout was curled up on the end of his bed, purring softly in her sleep. He smiled and got out of bed, heading for a shower before getting dressed.

Once he had deemed himself presentable, he crossed his room and opened the door. Scout lifted her head and looked up. “Coming?” Scott asked, waiting by the door. He had his shoes in one hand, his feet only covered by socks.

Scout yawned widely, stretching her back, her tail curling up over her back as she lowered her front down. She paddled with her claws on the bedspread then stretched out her back legs.

“No hurry, Scout,” Scott said, leaning against the door.

Scout jumped lightly off the bed and followed him out of the door. Scott closed it behind him and headed to the stairs. He was almost down when Scout suddenly stopped on the stairs to chase a small spider.

Scott, having been about to step down, noticed at the last minute that he was about to step on the creature so readjusted his footing in a jerky motion. His shoeless feet skidded on the wooden stairs and he found himself falling, his arms wildly grasping for a handrail that was now out of his reach.

He let out an involuntary yell as he landed on the floor at the bottom with a bang. Pain erupted in his head but he sat up, one hand on his head and looked around, having no idea whether he’d actually managed to miss stepping on the kitten.

 

The hologram of the world was running and spinning slowly above the table as John raised his hands to interact with it, checking for any potential callouts when he heard the cry and the loud noise.

John was on his feet in an instant, recognising the voice as Scott’s and thinking to himself that he needn’t look off the island for anyone in need of help. He ran up the stairs to the balcony and turned to see Scott sitting up, holding his head and looking around.

“Scott!” he called, going straight over to him and crouching at his side. “Scott, what happened? Are you alright?”

Scott looked round at him. “Where’s Scout? Is she alright? I don’t know if I stepped on her. She just stopped on the stairs, where is she?”

John took hold of Scott’s wrist, drawing his attention back to him. “Scott, you’re bleeding,” he said, pulling his other hand away from his head and showing him.

Scott looked at his hand, surprised at the redness there. It wasn’t covered but there was enough there to make him frown, which hurt his head. He raised his hand again, holding the painful point right above his right eyebrow.

John put his hands under Scott’s arms, lifting him off the floor. “Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up,” he instructed.

“But where’s Scout?” he asked again, looking around again.

John sighed and looked. The kitten was back on the stairs, pawing at the spider and oblivious of the trouble she’d just caused. “She’s there, look,” John said, pointing  to direct Scott’s attention.

Scott looked and saw her. “Does she look hurt?”

“She looks fine,” John retorted. “Let’s just worry about you.” He took Scott down to the kitchen where he sat him down at the table as Virgil walked in.

“What the-”

John looked up, seeing him. “Virge, you’re better at this kinda thing than I am,” he noted. “He fell down the stairs.”

“He what?” Virgil asked, his eyes wide. “Is that the noise I heard just now?”

“Tripped over Scout,” Scott mumbled. He had a beast of a headache coming on.

Virgil shook his head and went to the cupboard to retrieve the first aid kit. “John, could you clean it up please?”

John nodded, damping down a clean cloth and gently mopping the blood off his face.

“Heads always bleed a lot,” Virgil noted as John removed the cloth and went to dispose of it.

The medic examined the wound and opened the box. “It’s deep but not severely. I just need to steri-strip it,” he said. “What d’you hit your head on?”

Scott shrugged. “Not sure, I was falling at the time.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’re obviously fine if you’re being sarcastic.”

“Probably the handrail,” he said, looking away. The fact that his two immediate younger brothers were having to clean him up was slightly embarrassing to say the least. He winced as Virgil applied some sterilising fluid before starting to close the wound.

“Sorry, Scott,” Virgil said softly.

Scott shrugged again. “S’okay,” he said. “My own fault for not watching where I was going and not putting my shoes on before I came down.”

“Yeah, Grandma will probably have words with you over that one,” John said. “She’s always telling us about that.”

Scott groaned. “Don’t,” he said, then looked down as he felt pressure against his leg.

“Stop moving,” Virgil said.

“Sorry,” Scott said again, trying to direct only his eyes to look down at Scout who was sat at his feet, patting his leg with her paw. Scott rubbed his fingertips on his knee, trying to draw her attention.

She noticed and jumped up onto his lap, curling up.

John smiled. “I think this could be her way of saying sorry,” he suggested.

Scott looked down at her, stroking her soft fur with a smile on his face. Until Virgil applied another strip and made him wince again.


	5. Into Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having broken Scott, Scout looks for more mischief

Scott sat in the kitchen at the table, his head now bandaged and a glass of water in his hand to take the painkillers he’d been given. He watched Scout wandering round the room, sniffing at different things and chasing the dust motes again.

“Trouble maker,” he muttered as he took his tablets.

Gordon came in from the patio and stopped in his tracks. “Uh, Scott? Why are you trussed up like a mummy?”

Scott rolled his eyes, frowning slightly as it made his head hurt. “Scout decided to play catch the spider on the stairs in front of me and I fell trying not to step on her,” he said.

Gordon pulled a concerned face. “Ouch, you ok?”

The elder brother nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Nurse Virgil patched me up.”

“So you fell down the stairs and hit your head?” Gordon questioned.

“Mmm hmm,” Scott said, sipping at the rest of his water. “Yeah. Not a highlight of the week.” He watched her running around the kitchen, chasing dust motes in the shafts of light.

Gordon shook his head with a small chuckle. “Are you sure you’re alright though?”

Scott looked back round at him. “Yeah, Gords, I’m fine.”

The aquanaut nodded. “Good. Need anything?”

“I’m alright, thanks,” was the reply.

“Alright. Well, I’m gonna head up to my room,” Gordon reported.

“Okay,” Scott answered. “I’ll call if you’re needed.” He watched him head up the stairs that would take him to the living area then turned back to Scout. Except she was no longer there. He looked around then heard the sound of small feet running nearby. With a shake of his head and a small smile, he followed the sounds to find Scout chasing a sock around in the laundry room.

“Oh come on, Scout,” he said softly. “I have enough trouble getting pairs of socks back from the laundry, without you killing them!”

He went over and crouched in front of her, tugging the sock to try and remove it from between her paws.

She stubbornly dug her claws into it, both front and back as she bit on it.

“Scout, let go!” he said, wiggling the sock gently to try and dislodge her, succeeding only in making her cling on tighter. He sighed in frustration and pulled at the sock, finally managing to free it and held it up in front of him. “Wonderful. That has to go in the trash now,” he muttered, throwing it away as he stood up again.

Scout sat on the floor, watching him, before looking away.

Scott noticed what she was looking at. “Scout, seriously, you have all those toys upstairs and you want to play with dirty laundry?” He crouched down to pick up the discarded items from the floor and dropped them into the hamper.

She sat watching him, her head tilted, then ran over and jumped up on top of the now closed basket. Leaning her front end down and stretching her back end upwards, Scout started to paddle her claws on the wicker basket.

With a sigh, Scott shook his head and made to leave the room. Scout watched him then jumped down to follow him out.

He passed Virgil on his way. “Make sure it all definitely goes into the hamper,” he advised. “Scout likes socks.”

“I see,” Virgil said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Scout stopped following Scott and watched Virgil, her attention drawn by a drawstring hanging from one of his hoodies in the bundle he carried.

Not noticing her, Virgil continued into the laundry room and dumped all his washing into the basket.

Scout ran after him and leaped at the basket, but this time the lid wasn’t on. Her momentum as she landed caused the basket to shake, knocking the lid down over the top of her.

Scott got to the top of the stairs and looked around.

“What’s up?” Virgil asked as he ascended behind him.

“Where’s Scout? I didn’t see her go past me.”

“Are you sure? She’s not in the laundry room.”

Scott frowned and went into the living room. He saw John in his usual place in front of the world projection. “John? Have you seen Scout?”

“Not since earlier,” he replied, looking round.

“Hmm, this is weird. I’m just gonna head back down and check she’s not gone behind the washing units or something.”

“Alright,” Virgil answered, heading up the last few stairs to approach John.

Scott went back downstairs, frowning again as he heard squeaky little sounds he quickly identified as Scout meowing. Following the noise, he went over to the hamper and sighed. “Oh, Scout, how did you manage that?” he said as he lifted the lid.

He stepped back in surprise as she leaped out and ran back up the stairs. With a shake of his head, he followed her back up, wondering if he’d ever fully relax again.

 

When Scott walked back into the kitchen, he noticed that Gordon had the picnic hamper on the table. “You going out?”

Gordon looked round. “Yeah, thought it might be nice to go down to the beach for a picnic. And don’t worry, I’ve already thought about taking a communicator just in case. Wanna come?”

Scott thought for a moment. It would make a nice change but he still had some work to do for the company.

“You’re not seriously contemplating staying inside on a day like today to work, are you?” Gordon asked, crossing his arms.

“Well, I was,” Scott admitted, then looked outside. He was right. It was a lovely day for the time of year. “I guess I could come out for a little while.”

“Good!” Gordon said.

Scott rolled his eyes but smiled at him. “Well, you sort out the picnic then. Have you asked the others?”

Gordon nodded. “Not yet, I only just decided,” he replied, then returned from the fridge to put some salad into the hamper. “Scott, don’t take the meat, we won’t have anything to eat on the beach.”

“I didn’t take anything,” Scott replied, stepping off the bottom step and turning round. “I was about to go find the others.”

“Well, I know I put some ham out to put in the hamper,” Gordon said, frowning.

“I didn’t take it!” Scott said, going back over. He then shook his head and sighed. “But I bet I know who did.”

“But Scout can’t get up onto the table without help,” Gordon replied, confused.

“Gordon, I swear it wasn’t me,” Scott insisted, then smiled as he spotted Scout appearing from the corner of the room. “Let’s see what she does.” He pointed to the kitten, drawing Gordon’s attention.

The younger man looked down and saw her. She looked upwards, sniffing the air then looked around. She walked over to the chair at the end of the table and crouched low, looking up at the jacket hanging over the back of the seat.

Scott’s smile widened as he watched her, almost laughing as she jumped, latching her claws into the garment and climbing up it to get to the table. She grabbed another piece of meat, the slice almost as big as she was, then trotted to the edge of the table. She looked over the side, then moved to jump down onto the chair before jumping the rest of the way to the floor and running off to the corner again. They watched her go then looked back at each other, both of them trying hard not to laugh.

“Okay, so she can reach,” Gordon said, lifting the jacket from the chair. He examined it. “Oh dear, Virgil’s not gonna be happy. Look at the state of it.”

Scott couldn’t help but smirk a little as he took it from him, seeing all the claw marks and snagged threads over the back of it. “Oh dear,” he said. “Well, Grandma does keep telling him not to leave his jackets in here. I guess now he’ll have to stop.”

Gordon chuckled. “Oh well.”

Scott shrugged as he put the jacket down. “She’s such a pest. But at least now you can stop blaming me.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that one. Note to self, no leaving meat where she can reach it.”

Scott grinned again. “Good idea. Anyway, you carry on looking for the lunch stuff, I’ll go find the others.”

 

Later that day, John was coming back in from the garden. The picnic had finished a while ago and the others had all decided to spend some more time outside. John, however, had decided it was time to head back to Thunderbird Five. As much as he enjoyed the company of his family, so much noise was like a sensory overload for him. He was far more used to only hearing Eos and the hum of his machinery, interspersed with comm. traffic. But as busy as that all was, he was used to it. The noise levels at home were entirely different.

He put the cup and plate he’d been using during the picnic into the sink and leaned against the side.

“You know, you’d find it easier to stay longer if you came back home more often.”

John spun round to face Scott. His only older brother was leaning against the wall by the garden entrance. He offered him a smile. “I know. But as much as I know I get engrossed in my work, it’s not just me keeping me up there.”

Scott nodded his understanding. “Yeah, I suppose the rest of the world do keep demanding your attention.” He smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Just try not to be too much of a stranger, alright?”

“I’ll try,” John replied, glancing up at the bandage above Scott’s eye. “How’s the head now, by the way?”

A hand drifted up to brush over the fabric covering his head. “Not as sore as it was earlier. But I’m not gonna hold it against her.”

John chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to.”

Scott smiled at him again. “Thanks again for helping me earlier.”

“I wasn’t exactly going to just leave you on the floor, now, was I?”

“I guess not, but still, thanks.”

John smiled again. “You’re welcome,” he said, then glanced around. “I should head back up.”

“Alright, John,” Scott said. “Walk you to your lift?”

“If you like.”

Scott grinned and slung his arm round his shoulder as they headed for the stairs. “I wonder what that cat of mine is up to?” he mused as he released his brother to ascend.

“I doubt she’s had her fill of causing trouble for the day,” John replied.

“Probably not.” They reached the top of the stairs and looked around. “Ah, there she is.”

John looked in the direction Scott was pointing and saw the kitten crawling around under their father’s desk. “Well, I guess she can’t cause too much mischief under there.”

“Don’t tempt her,” Scott replied, grinning.

They headed down to the hangar and Scott stopped in front of John. “I mean it, John,” he said, kindly. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t,” John responded. “I promise.”

Scott smiled at him then stepped aside so John could go to the small locker room and change into his uniform. He waited until he re-emerged. “Alright. See you soon, John.”

“You will.”

 

Scott walked back out into the living room and sat down on the sofa, leaning back tiredly. He sunk down into the seat, crossing his arms. He felt a little tired, but put it down to the previous disturbed night.

He sighed as he let his eyes close. They’d been thankfully quiet on the rescue front since the previous morning so he took the opportunity to just rest.

Until he felt clawing at the bottom of his trouser leg. He huffed a frustrated sigh and opened his eyes, sitting up. He glanced down at the floor and saw Scout sat there, a wire in her mouth as she pawed his leg.

He frowned. “Where did you get that from?” he asked, leaning down to take it from her. He looked at it, noticing the tooth marks in the sheathing. “You really shouldn’t chew on things like this, Scout,” he said, looking at her.

The kitten looked up at him, meowing softly.

“Why am I even telling you? It’s not like you’ll understand.” He sighed and looked at the wire again, trying to work out where she’d found it. “Hmm, you were under Dad’s desk, weren’t you? Maybe it’s from there.”

He got up and headed over to the desk, Scout following him at a run, and crouched down, looking underneath it. “Well, looks like it’s from the comm. system,” he muttered, seeing an empty jack. “You must have jumped for this one.”

Scout sat next to him and tilted her head. He looked over at her. “No chewing wires, Scout,” he said, looking at it again. It looked as if it was only the outer layer that was damaged so crawled under the desk to plug it back in.

“Scott? What are you doing?”

The call was unexpected and made Scott jump, causing him to hit his head on the underside of the desk. He yelped as he ducked back quickly, holding his head.

“Scott?”

“Virgil, what?!”

“Sorry, Scott, I didn’t mean to make you jump, I just wanted to know what you were doing down there?” He went over and offered him a hand to help him up.

Grumbling, Scott took it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Just it hurt.”

“Yeah, I guessed. You jumped pretty hard,” Virgil said. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, just I would have to hit my head in almost the same place as earlier.”

Virgil smiled slightly. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Which was?”

“What were you doing down there?”

“Oh, Scout had a wire and it looks like she pulled it out of the comm. in the desk. I was putting it back.”

“She got one of the wires?” Virgil asked, looking down at the kitten who was rubbing up against his leg.

“Uh huh,” Scott said. “I think she must have jumped or something.”

“Did you get it plugged back in properly?”

“Before you tried to get me to knock myself out again?” Scott asked, smirking slightly.

Virgil smiled. “Yeah, before that.”

“I dunno, actually.” He crouched back down and looked. “Yeah. I got it.”

“Does it still work?”

“Dunno,” Scott said, sitting in the chair. He reached out and opened a channel. “Tracy Island calling Thunderbird Five.”

It was barely a moment before John appeared above the desk. “ _Five receiving, go ahead. Everything alright, Scott?_ ”

“I was just checking the comm. still worked.”

“ _Is there a reason it shouldn’t?_ ” John asked, concerned.

“Scout chewed through one of the wires under Dad’s desk,” Scott replied.

“ _Oh, I see. Well, everything seems to be in order._ ”

“Thanks, John,” Scott said.

John waved as the link closed and Scott looked over at Virgil. “At least it still works.”

“Yeah. But where’s Scout gone?”

They both looked around, noticing that Scout seemed to have wandered off. Getting up, they both checked under the furniture when Alan walked in. “You guys lost something?”

“Scout has wandered off,” Scott said, checking under the seats.

“Who? This Scout?” Alan asked. The two elder Tracys looked round and saw him stood by the stairs holding Scout. “She was trying to get in through the maintenance entrance to the hangars.”

Scott got up and went over. “You give me more of a headache than that fall down the stairs did,” he said, taking her from him and tapping his finger lightly on her nose. “No hangars for you.”


End file.
